Why is it so hard to give up eating meat?

Studies show meat production harms the planet, but you have plenty of options

As media reports emerged out about a study looking at the environmental impact of meat, dairy and egg production, some readers shared a common and rather emotional response: You can take the bacon from our cold, dead hands.

When studies come out — and there have been many — looking at either the environmental toll or detrimental health affects of producing and eating meat, the seemingly logical conclusion would be to at least reduce the amount of animal flesh we stuff in our mouths.

“My work to date has shown that there’s a lot of savings that one can do in their environmental impact if they move from a mixed diet, like the average American eats, to a plant-based one,” said Gidon Eshel, the study’s author.

“You still are better off choosing plants but if you have to, if you feel like ‘I’ve got to have something in me that’s not a plant,’ eggs or poultry are a fine second-best option,” said Eshel.

Dairy cows are fed at a family dairy farm in Chilliwack, B.C., Tuesday, June, 10, 2014. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward)

We all have that friend who brings tofu to backyard BBQs, but most Canadians are omnivores and eat some combination of plant-based foods and animal products. For some of those Canadians, the suggestion that they cut back on steak, chicken legs or pork chops seems inconceivable. But why are we so attached to our meat-eating ways? According to Dawn Johnston, a senior instructor at the University of Calgary who specializes in food culture, it’s our feelings more so than our bodies that get in the way.

“I think it’s really difficult for a lot of people, psychologically and emotionally more so than physically,” said Johnston. “People’s bodies adjust pretty quickly to new diets, but cultural practices and family traditions and attitudes toward food and what food does for us, are much more difficult things to change.”

In short, asking someone who grew up sitting around a Sunday roast at the dinner table to eat less meat isn’t just asking for a dietary change, it’s asking for an identity change. Johnston said mileage will vary by things like ethnic background and location, such as in Alberta where cattle is a way of life for some people.

There’s also a significant knowledge gap for those who grew up eating an omnivorous diet. If you’re a busy parent, balancing work and childcare and working with limited income, figuring out how much tempeh or black beans it takes to provide adequate nutrition for your family isn’t exactly a priority.

“You know that a pound of hamburger is going to feed people, make them full, be recognizable, be comfort food, and it’s not difficult to prepare,” said Johnston.

When you are making that type of a change sometimes you grasp into foods that are familiar

For people new to plant-based dining, there’s an important question that needs answering: What do I eat now? A new “vegetarian butcher” in Toronto called YamChops wants to be that answer.

The shop looks like a traditional butcher with glass cases full of burgers, sausages and even “chicken” shawarma, except upon closer inspection you’ll see that the burgers are made with beets and the “tuna” salad is made with chickpeas.

“When you are making that type of a change sometimes you grasp into foods that are familiar. So you might want tuna, but instead choose to eat tunaless tuna here,” said Jess Abramson, who owns YamChops along with her parents, Michael and Toni. Only one of them, Michael, is a vegetarian while Jess and her mother eat some combination of plant-based and animal-based foods.

“What we’ve tried to do here is provide some foods that taste great, some of them resemble their meat counterparts, some of them don’t, but it kind of answers the question what do I eat.”

Abramson said the plant-based options available have drastically increased in availability since she was a teenage vegan and although Yamchops hits on a certain novelty factor, less meat-heavy eating habits are sticking around.

“Generally I think eaters are asking more questions these days about where their food comes from, how it’s made and what’s in it,” she said. “I think that’s also a big driver toward a plant-based diet or incorporating more plant-based options into your diet.”

If you’re dead set on continuing to eat meat, there’s a way to do it without totally sacrificing the planet, says Dave Meli. He’s the head butcher at the Healthy Butcher in Toronto which specializes in sustainable meat.

He conceded Eshel’s study was right in that ruminants — like cows and lamb — can have a large carbon footprint, “But that’s looking at conventionally raised ruminants that shouldn’t be eating grains to begin with.”

To grow grains on prize agricultural land and then feed that to livestock … it’s a waste of prime agricultural land on this planet” said Meli. If you’re looking for more sustainable meat, he says, go for grass-fed meat raised on small farms and don’t be afraid to ask your butcher about where it came from and how it was fed.

“I think that livestock and all forms of agriculture have a place to work together. And when they are working well together, it’s a fantastic system,” said Meli.

Balance does seem to be the sensible, sustainable option for those unwilling to say goodbye to meat. Rather, a “flexitarian” approach of less meat and more plant-based protein is a popular option. The Healthy Butcher was actually started by former vegetarians seeking easier access to healthy, sustainable meat.

“I would never say to anybody don’t eat meat,” said Meli. “I would say have a well-balanced diet.”